Jaipur: 9 arrested for creating ruckus over sick cow’s death, released on bail

Nine people arrested for damaging government property, manhandling animal rights activists, and blocking a road over the death of an ailing cow in Jaipur on Thursday were granted bail by a local court on Friday, officials said.

The investigating officer in the case told the Hindustan Times that the nine men were arrested after the Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) filed a complaint against them. All of them were released by the chief judicial magistrate’s court on a bail bond of Rs 20,000 each.

The accused broke the windshields of two animal ambulances and shouted anti-JMC slogans after the cow died on Baba Harishchandra Marg. The protesters alleged they called the municipal body’s officers and the councillor but no action was taken and that the cow died before the ambulance could reach it.

They blocked the road and demanded that a case should be lodged against JMC and the councillor for the cow’s death.

NGO Help in Suffering said two if its team members were beaten up and one of its ambulances was also damaged by the protesters.

“Social welfare is very challenging and risky these days. Our rescue team was attacked by so called Gaurakshaks (cow vigilantes) in Chandpole area in old Jaipur city ... The rescue team was attacked with rods and stones,” the NGO said in a post on Facebook.

“The ambulance was severely damaged. One rescued dog which was in the vehicle died in the vehicle only due to all this chaos. Our team members Sanjay Valmiki and Shivprasad were taken out from the vehicle and roughed up. The ambulance is badly damaged and due to this our rescue efforts will be seriously affected as we are already acutely deficient of ambulance vehicles,” it added.

The attack on the NGO was criticised on social media.

“How absolutely terrible, so sorry for you and the poor dog. These people are such hypocrites, they only pretend to be religious, but have no love,” a user said in response to the post.

Focus on cow protection, especially by vigilante groups, has risen since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government took power three years ago, and several states ruled by the party made laws to punish cow slaughter.

So-called cow protectors have targeted cattle and meat traders, transporters and even farmers walking their animals – violence that has killed several people, mostly in BJP-ruled states. Critics accuse the vigilantes of using cows as a pretext to target Muslims and Dalits.